Railroad-switch.



PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

o. P. GRANGER.

RAILROAD SWITGH.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 7, 1993.

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NO MODEL.

l V IL einigem@ No. 725,956.- y PATBNTBD APR. 21', 1903. o. P. GRANGER.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 7, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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PATENTED APR.v 21, 1903.

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RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. v. 190s.`

N0 MODEL.

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@ga/awk@ UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

CHARLES E. GRANGEE, oE'HoLYo'KE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNoRoE CNE- HALE ToE. L. ALDEEMAN, on HoLYoKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 725,956, dated April21, 1903.

Application filed February 7, 1903. Serial No. 142,335. (No model.)

To al?, whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, CHARLES F.A GRANGER,

a citizen of the United Statesof Americagresiding at Holyoke, in thecounty of Hampden and State of Massachusetts,"have vinvented certain newan d useful Improvements in Rail;

road-Switches, of which the-following is a specification.

The object of the improvement is the pro-V lo duction of arailway-switch adapted to be operated by hand and also adapted to beoperJ ated from an open to a closed adjustment by. a vehicle-alocomotive, for instance-ap` proaching the switch on the iixed tracks.In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation with some ofthe parts brokenY away or absent. Fig. la is a View of theoperating-lever. Fig. 2 is a View'from above, a plan view, of a portionof the tracks. Fig." zo 3 is an elevation partly in section on the planedenoted by the dotted line x x of Fig. 1.

The particular objectof the invention isto provide a safety adjustmentfor a railroadswitch whereby if a switch from the main track to a sidingis left open it will be closed by a train approaching on the main trackbefore the switch is reached.

In the accompanying drawings, a denotes fixed tracks.

h denotes shiftable tracks properly connected together. j

c o' denote pivotallyV-connected toggle-lee* vers, one of which, c', maybe pivotally supe ported in a suitable chair, as c2. The upper 3 5 endof the lever o is connected with the shift` able tracks, and this leveris pivoted at a point between its ends, as at c3. d d' denote leverspivotally connected to said toggle-levers at their pivotal connection,carrying ad- 40 j ustably thereon the weights e e and provided withfriction wheels f f', bearing against track-supports g g', which allowsaid weighted levers their necessary movement and at the same timeprevent them from falling unduly outward. Y i

The letters h 71, denote shifting-rods .designed for use in shifting theshiftable tracks by hand. Each has a'hookh2 or the Alike underlyingtherweighted lever, with which it cooperates. These shifting-rods lienormally ingly.

4motive. "with the upperend of the lever lc throws it for- Award,drawing the chain m up over the pulley 'and 'raising the Weight e.

in their down adjustment, being kept there by their gravity. When one ofthe weighted levers is in its downward adjustment, then by pulling up onand raising its appurtenant shifting-rod, as shown vat h in Fig. 3, that:weighted lever is raised, its fellow is lowered,

and the shiftable tracks are moved accord- The raising of the lever d bythe rod h moves the shiftable track to the position shown in Fig.'3,opening the switch to the 6o siding. By reference to Fig. 3 it will beseen that the pivotal point ofthe toggle-levers c c passes by the centerin the extreme positions of the levers el d, the construction being suchas to permit ofy this break, and the shiftable tracks are thus securelylocked in either of their positions. The weights e e' aid in main-Ttaining the position of the toggle-levers c c. .When one of vtheshifting-rods h has been raised and the traoks'shifted, it will drop by7o its own weight,rand I provide a spring z', which acts as a buffer andmaintains the upper ends of the rods in *a position where they can bereadily grasped. The switch will only be operated by an oncoming trainwhen it has been carelesslyleft open. One of the weights e is connectedby the Chain m with a pivoted lever lo, which occupies the positionshown in Fig. 1. When the switch is open, its upper end projects intooperative relation with a 8o projection Z, carried Vby the vehicle, as aloco- This projection looming in contact The operation is exactly as ifthe shifting-rod h were raised by hand, dropping the lever d andreversing the position of the parts from that shown in Fig. 3, closingthe switch to the siding and giving a clear main track. 9o

In order to prevent tampering with the switch mechanism through the rodsh h', I prefer to iuclose the ends of these rods in suitable tubes n n,these tubes being slotted, as at n2, to receive the prongs of theoperat-9 5 ing-lever n3. (Shown in Fig. la.)

I claim as my invention-1 l. In combination; the fixed tracks; theconnected shiftable tracks, ,thetoggleleverm one of them taking hold ofthe shiftable 10o tracks; and the Weighted levers pivotall y connectedto said toggle-joints at their pivotal connection.

2. In combination; the fixed tracks; the connected shiftable tracks; thetoggle-levers, one of them taking hold of the shiftable tracks; and theadjustable Weighted levers pivotally connected to said toggle-levers attheir pivotal connection.

3. In combination; the fixed tracks; the connected shift-able tracks;the toggle-levers, one of them taking hold of the shiftable tracks; theweighted levers pivotally connected to said toggle-levers at theirpivotal connection; and supports for said Weighted levers.

4. In combination; the fixed tracks; the connected shiftable tracks; thetoggle-levers, one of them taking hold of said shiftable tracks; theWeighted levers pivotally con nected to said toggle-levers at theirpivotal connection and carrying friction-wheels; and the tracks for saidfriction-Wheels.

5. In combination; the fixed tracks; the connected shiftable tracks; thetoggle-levers, one of them taking hold of said shiftable tracks; theweighted levers pivotally connected to said toggle-levers at theirpivotal connection; and the shifting-rods adapted to coperate with saidWeighted levers.

6. In combination; the iixed tracks; the connected shiftable tracks; thetoggle-levers, one of them taking hold of said shiftable tracks; theweighted levers pivotally connected to said toggle-levers at theirpivotal connection; the shifting-lever set alongside one of the fixedtracks and adapted to be operated by a projection from a vehicle movingon said xed tracks; and a connection from said shifting to one of saidWeighted levers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES F. GRANGER.

Witnesses:

ADDISON L. GREEN, MABEL L. JUDD.

